7 Day Itinerary - From Bonifacio in southern Corsica and Sardinia

Itinerary suggestion

Day 1: Arrive at Bonifacio

Welcome to Bonifacio! Located at the southern tip of Corsica is the most visited city of Corsica and for good reason.
The old town, built on an immense limestone cliffs overlooking nearly 70 meters tall narrow sea passage of Bonifacio. With its tall buildings and crowded streets, it has many treasures to discover. First night on board.

Day 2: 11 miles Piantarella bay and Lavezzi Islands

Faced with the Lavezzi islands Piantarella is a real lagoon with its beautiful sandy beach especially popular spot for its kite surfing and windsurfing. In some places the water is very low and allows you to link, feet in the water, the island of Piana and the bank. Crystalline turquoise waters have nothing to envy to those of the Caribbean!

Heading to the Lavezzi Islands, nature reserve since 1982, an archipelago of small islands and granite reefs. Anchor at the Cala Lazzarina where you can use your snorkel to explore the seabed or relax on the beautiful sandy beaches or even walk along the few roads available. The fauna and flora of these islands are exceptional and it is a must stop!

Day 3: 12 miles The Gulf of Sant'Amanza

Sailing to the Gulf Sant'Amanza, one of the most beautiful on the island. It has a unique charm, surrounded by its limestone cliffs and granite rocks!

It is also the ideal place for windsurfers, with its small beaches all sheltered from the winds!

The sunsets are beautiful at... Sant'Amanza.

Day 4: 10 miles The Bays of Santa Giulia and Rondinara

These sleepy bays, worthy of the most beautiful postcards are among the most beautiful sites of Corsica not to be missed.. The Bay of Santa Giulia, with its rocks, crystal clear water and fine white sand is so beautiful.

Mooring buoys are available for boats. Further south, Rondinara Bay natural bay sheltered from strong currents, reveals a turquoise of exceptional quality blue sea.

Day 5: 24 miles Heading Islands Budelli then Razzoli and La Maddalena

The Isle of Budelli is part of the National Park of La Maddalena. You can visit "by far" the famous pink beach, Spiaggia Rosa because it is forbidden to swim, to walk, or even to walk on her pink sand whose characteristic is to be made up of many pieces of coral, shell fragments and shards of granite rock.

You can navigate to the coves of Cala Cala Piatto and Cisternone and there snorkelling in clear blue turquoise waters.

Then towards the island of Razzoli, where you can head to the exotic Cala Lunga.

Lastly towards the picturesque port of the island of La Maddalena to visit this very friendly village, an ancient village of fishermen, bustling with restaurants, night markets and shops. A must see!

Warning: to navigate the Maddalena Archipelago, you must obtain a special permit, on www.lamaddalenapark.net.

Day 6: 16 miles Northern Sardinia, Palau and Santa Teresa di Gallura

Palau is one of the most famous locations in northern Sardinia.

In summer, the city comes alive in a special way along the harbor and along the main street, Via Nazionale, with a concentration of shops and small restaurants of typical Sardinian cuisine.

Cultural side around Palau, you can go to the rock of Capo d'Orso, a large rock sculpted by the wind recalls precisely the shape of a bear, but also the many archaeological sites in Palau.

Then, towards Santa Teresa Gallura, located on a small promontory, just across Bonifacio. This is a famous seaside resort with an attractive village with colorful houses and cobbled streets, which is organized around the church of San Vittorio. Its marina is well sheltered in a bay that extends deep into the interior.

Day 7: 9 miles return Bonifacio. Disembarking on Saturday morning at 09am.

Bonifacio is one of the highlights of the Corsica island and is peppered with nice restaurants and bars.

Either before or after dinner, head up to Citadelle de Bonifacio. It’s a hilltop fortress with eagle eye views down on the old town and surrounding harbour where little fishing boats rub up against the fenders of visiting superyachts.

After a long week of adventure and exploring, you’ll be ready to prepare for leaving the yacht for the morning. See you the next year!

Sailing in South Corsica

General information

French Corsica, including Elba and the Bonifacio straits, offers excellent cruising. The west coast includes some of the most dramatic scenery of the Mediterranean. Add hundreds of coves with brilliant white beaches, many islets, little intrusive development, plenty of anchorages, good marinas, attractive old town centres, and you'll need much more than four weeks for a thorough exploration. Or allow two weeks to circumnavigate visiting just the highlights.

Westerly winds through the Bonifacio straits, channelled between Corsica and Sardinia, often reach F7. This area is a popular cruising ground, sharing the extensive Maddalena and Lavezzi Archipelagos, together with a host of local anchorages on the main island coastlines.

South Corsica enjoys a Mediterranean climate which is hot and dry in summer, with air temperatures up to 36° C and water temperatures up to 25° C. In winter, weather is mild and rainy. Spring and the beginning of the autumn season are ideal times for a cruise around South Corsica as temperatures are pleasant, the landscape is beautiful and there are less people in the ports and anchorages. South Corsica has different weather systems between the east and west coasts. The west coast is more exposed and therefore windier. The prevailing wind is a westerly thermal breeze blowing at force of 3 to 5 on the Beaufort scale. It comes up in the morning and dies in the evening.

In the Strait of Bonifacio, conditions are specific with winds sometimes blowing in opposite directions and strongly, due to the bottleneck effect. In this area, you will find many places to take shelter.

If you decide to cruise around South Corsica in July or August, it’s probably best to favour anchorages to ports as they can often be packed and more expensive than in the low or mid season.

Climate on Corsica, various micro-climates create a wide variety of temperatures and precipitation. The main mountain range divides the island roughly in half. As a general rule the north is hotter than the south. Summers are long, stretching from May until October.

In the western Mediterranean the tide range is very small, rising/falling by just 30 cm to 60 cm (one to two feet).